Extended through June 19!
The Underpants
Tracy Brigden directs six of Pittsburgh’s favorite actors in Steve Martin’s comedy about the hilarious results of a woman’s “wardrobe malfunction.”
City Theatre closes its 30th anniversary season with The Underpants, Steve Martin’s hilarious comic adaptation of Carl Sternheim’s farce. Directed by Tracy Brigden, The Underpants runs on City Theatre’s 272-seat mainstage from May 19 through June 19, 2005.
Written in 2002 by Steve Martin based on Carl Sternheim’s classic German comedy from 1910, The Underpants is about a puritanical bureaucrat and his wife, Louise, who becomes an instant celebrity when her underpants accidentally fall down in public. Described by The New York Times as “laugh-out-loud funny,” Martin uses saucy jokes, witty wordplay, slamming doors, and sophisticated literary style to lampoon our contemporary culture’s fascination with fame.
Director Tracy Brigden has assembled an outstanding cast of Pittsburgh favorites for City Theatre’s production. Set in Dusseldorf in 1910, Martin Giles plays the boorish husband Theo, who is afraid of losing his job after his wife’s “wardrobe malfunction.” Elena Passarello is Louise, who suddenly has suitors drawn by the sight of her dropped drawers. Joe Schulz (Cohen), Darren Eliker (Versati) and Tim Hartman (Klinglehoff) play the admirers, and Sheila McKenna is Gertrude, a nosy neighbor who encourages Louise in her amorous adventures.
The design team for City Theatre’s production of The Underpants is: Tony Ferrieri, scenic design; Andrew David Ostrowski, lighting design; Don Mangone, costume design; Joe Pino, sound design; and Elsen Associates, wig design.
Steve Martin’s comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile played to sold-out houses at City Theatre during the 1998–99 season.
Steve Martin is an actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer and host of the 75th and 73rd annual Academy Awards. Most recently Martin co-wrote and stars as Inspector Clouseau in the upcoming movie Birth of the Pink Panther and adapted his best-selling novella, Shopgirl, for the screen (starring Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman). His second novella, The Pleasure of My Company, was published by Hyperion and he has also written a bestselling collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel. His work frequently appears in the New Yorker and The New York Times. Martin’s starring roles in movies includes The Jerk, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, The Man with Two Brains, All of Me, Roxanne, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Parenthood, L.A. Story, Father of the Bride, Housesitter, Little Shop of Horrors, The Three Amigos, The Lonely Guy, Leap of Faith, Novocaine, The Spanish Prisoner, Bowfinger, Bringing Down the House, and Cheaper by the Dozen.
Regular Run Schedule (through June 15):
Tues. at 7 pm
Weds. thru Fri. at 8 pm
Sat. at 5:30 & 9 pm
Sun. at 2 pm
Extension Schedule (June 16–19):
Thursday, June 16 and Friday, June 17 at 8 pm
Saturday, June 18 at 5:30 & 9 pm
Sunday, June 19 at 2 pm
The running time for The Underpants is 1 hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.
Tickets:
$15 to $40
Students and age 25 and younger can reserve $15 tickets in advance.
Senior rush (age 60 and older) begins at the Box Office 2 hours before showtime.